Customer Reviews

Conant Custom Thermometers

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

I was very disappointed when I discovered that this particular T-6 Vermont Thermometer was "Made in CHINA". I own other Conant Brass products and have been very pleased w/ them. When this T-6 arrived, I placed it beside the Conant thermometer I've had on the front porch for years. It was reading off by several degrees, so I looked at it closer. CHINA was stamped on the back of the brass housing. The product packaging seemed to indicate it was made in Vermont, so I studied the box for about 10 minute before I found the very inconspicuos "Made in China" inside one of the Conant Brass trademark circles on the bottom of the box.

Although Conant Brass didn't say it was made in the USA, there was that implication. The fact that the required "Made in China" label on the box was so deceptively? hidden really angered me. I returned it.

I ordered this because I like the look of the brass holder. I read the reviews that complained about the numbers being too small, but that did not bother me. (My husband thought it was too small to read though, so he agrees with other reviewers.) When it arrived, it read the accurate temperature inside, so I hung it up outside. When it was outside, the temperature was not reading accurately. It was anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees above the actual temp., so I contacted Amazon and they sent me a replacement. In the meantime, we had some really cold days, and the thermometer seemed to start registering correctly. Who knows? When the second one arrived, I put it out next to the first. The second one registered anywhere from 5 to 10 degrees above the first one. So, I am not sure how accurate these thermometers are... Anyways, I ended up returning the second one as it seems the first ended up being closer to the actual temperature (at least I think!)

follow up- Sept 2009 - the thermometer is now stuck at 63 degrees... pretty sure it is not always 63 degrees here!

I recently purchased this thermometer to give to a friend and did so based on my first hand experience. This thermometer is an excellent example of something that is beautiful built in terms of form and function. It's simplicity gives it a classic look. It ages beautifully and one never has to worry about any finish giving out. The first five years of its life were spent outdoors on a deck in Vermont. It has seen just about every conceivable weather imaginable. Thirty below temps, driving snow, rain, freezing rain and baking summer sun to name a few. To put it simply, it lived in a world of constant abuse and always performed perfectly. Every time I've checked its calibration, it's been dead on. I image I'll have this thermometer for the rest of my life unless I lose it somehow. I suppose its only downsides are that it reads inaccurately when direct sunlight hits the brass and the numbers aren't big enough to see from far away. Both of these shortcomings can be easily dealt with, however.

I bought 4 of these; three gifts, one for myself. Mine is not accurate and at least 2 of the others are not. The thermometer will read well below freezing when it is clearly above freezing, and this is with due regard to micro-climates, I'm talking about inches away. Many reviewers say their thermometers are accurate. I have to assume this is another instance of Chinese quality control. If I had bought these thermometers as decorative objects I would have rated them more highly, but I wanted to know the temperature. In this case I feel I did not get what I paid for. Apparently it's a gamble.

After about 4 years the white face on this thermometer started flaking and is now completely unreadable. One day it just started peeling and flaking and now the needle will not move. The brass and all other parts seem fine but this thing is not built to last! We live in Wisconsin so it gets cold but, the numbers go to -40 so the cold should not hurt it?

Considering the high price for this thermometer I figured it would be well made. There are two fixed circles of metal. The outside is brass with numbers cut out showing the inside ring in a different color. I was excited because it was going down to -20 degrees and I wanted to see how accurate it was. Unfortunately the free spinning temperature indicator gets stuck. The outside brass circle is attached in a SLIGHT oval and the indicator hits it. Not fixable. Now I have to figure out how to deal with the warranty. Very frustrating considering it was a gift to my wife.

Update: I was able to round out the brass circle. I now works well and is very accurate.

This thermometer is just what I wanted. Fixed to the front of our Long Island farm ranch, it looks rustic and classy. Plus the quality is outstanding, and hanging it was a 5 minute job. Now we check the temperature constantly because it is so easy to read and beautiful to look at. Highly recommend.

I love the looks, but who would put up with a pair of scales this inaccurate, even if the scales were great design?

Conant: bring those jobs back from China; you must be making a fortune on this piece of junk in beautiful casing. However, you can only skin the cat once, and I will not be buying your products again.

I've been looking for info to recalibrate this thermometer, but not having any luck.

I installed this thermometer last summer outside on my front porch, in the shade.

A year later, after the winter rains got to it, the dial has rusted into place and it now permanently says 68 degrees. So it gets a pretty poor rating for durability.

Before it died, I was never quite confident that it was accurately reporting the temp. What's the point of a thermometer if it doesn't tell you the temperature?

Waste of money.

I've had this installed outside my kitchen window for over 4 years and it still looks and works great. I bought it because I wanted something classy and rustic. I highly recommend this unit.